


tonight, we are young

by torigates



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-04
Updated: 2012-03-04
Packaged: 2017-12-31 12:32:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1031744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torigates/pseuds/torigates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wally didn’t even bother going back to the cave with everyone else. He felt kind of terrible about it, about leaving everyone, especially Zatanna, behind, but at the same time <i>he had to go home right now</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	tonight, we are young

  
Wally didn’t even bother going back to the cave with everyone else. He felt kind of terrible about it, about leaving everyone, especially Zatanna, behind, but at the same time _he had to go home right now_.

“Listen,” Wally said, grabbing Robin’s attention. “I’m just going to go home from here. Is that okay? Do you need me to go back to the cave?”

Robin turned his attention briefly away from Zatanna. Captain Marvel was giving her a hug, and Batman and Red Tornado were conferring with Kaldur. Wally knew if he didn’t leave soon he was going to get dragged into a debriefing, and he needed to get home now.

A weird expression passed over Robin’s face. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s fine. You head home.”

“I’ll see you later?” Wally wasn’t sure why he turned his voice up at the end, but he suddenly felt unsure. He wanted Robin to tell him things were fine.

“Yeah,” Rob said, brushing him off. “It’s fine, go home.”

He had already turned his attention back to Zatanna. Conner and M’gann were hovering at her shoulder, but Artemis was standing off to the side. He took two quick steps in her direction.

“Hey,” he said.

She turned to look at him. Her arms were wrapped around her waist, and she looked as tired as Wally felt.

“You’re going home,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

“I--yeah.” He said. “I need to go home now. Are you going to be okay?”

She shook her head. “Yes,” she said.

Wally hesitated, then reached out and touched her wrist. “Good,” he said. “I’ll see you soon.”

She looked down at his hand touching her. He turned and left.

Wally loved to run. He loved to move, and to know that he was practically invisible. He loved the freedom it brought him. When he ran he felt relaxed and at ease. He felt like himself.

He didn’t feel that way now. He felt rushed, panicked. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he wasn’t moving fast enough. He wanted to go straight home. He planned on going straight home, but his arm ached and he was still in his Kid Flash outfit. Wally wanted to see his parents more than anything else, but he didn’t want them to see him like this.

He stopped to change.

His street looked the same. The neighbours were out walking their dogs, the grass was still green, even for early November. At his house, the front light was on.

Just outside the door, he paused before turning the handle.

“Mom?” he called. “Dad?” The front room was empty, and for a horrifying, sickening moment, Wally thought he had come home to another empty house after all.

“Wally!”

His mom ran out from the kitchen, his dad right behind her. Mom wrapped her arms around Wally’s shoulders, and he allowed himself to just breathe. His dad was at his shoulder, and he put his hand on Wally’s back.

“Thank god you’re home,” his mom whispered against his cheek.

Wally hugged his parents and did not think about all the times he would have to leave this house again.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

Batman hadn’t led Zatanna spend the night at her house. He insisted it would be better for her to stay at the cave, with other people.

Zatanna hated Batman.

That first night at Mount Justice was terrible. Zatanna curled up in an unfamiliar bed and sobbed. She knew M’gann and Conner could hear her, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t think straight, couldn’t catch her breath through her sobs, couldn’t think about anything other than the fact that Zatara, her _dad_ , was gone forever and it was all her fault.

_“Just getting him to let me visit takes a full day's wheedling. I wish he'd just give me a little space.”_

Her own words echoed in her head. She had wanted to be a part of the team, and now she was. She didn’t want it like this.

The next day, the team came and helped her pack up her things. Batman said he would take care of the house and the money, and Zatanna was grateful, she was hateful, spiteful, mad, grief-stricken.

At the house, her friends hovered, unsure of what to do, how to help. Zatanna wanted to scream at them all to get out and leave her alone, to let her grieve Zatara, her life. Instead, she bit her tongue, the inside of her cheeks until she tasted blood, and tried to smile, tried to be grateful for the family she had left, and not to mourn the one she had lost.

Eventually, all of her things were packed. Zatara’s things were packed too. Zatanna kept everything, put away neatly in boxes that could be stacked in storage. Zatara might come back one day. He might come back and take her home, and she could forget all of this, wake up from it and go back to her old life again.

The team helped her move all her own things to Mount Justice. They were stored just as neatly in boxes of her own, stacked haphazardly around her new bedroom.

“My room’s right next door, if you need anything,” M’gann said.

Zatanna wanted to say that she wanted her dad back, but that seemed childish. “Thanks,” she said instead. “I could use a little alone time, okay?”

Her room was big, and cold and empty. Zatanna crawled into bed and cried.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

Wally purposefully put the tiny yellow sippy cup in the same spot as Doctor Fate’s helmet. He didn’t want to have to look at that empty space on the shelf.

“Hey.”

He turned to see Artemis leaning against the door frame.

“Hi,” he said.

“We haven’t seen you around here for a few days,” she said, and walked across the room to sit on one of the benches.

He scratched the back of his neck before joining her. “I know,” he said. “I’m sorry I missed Zatanna’s move.”

She waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Between Meg and Conner there was enough sheer lifting power. Plus, I think Zatanna was happy to keep it a small thing.”

Wally nodded. He leaned back against the wall, and tipped his head up to stare at the ceiling. He could feel Artemis next to him. She wasn’t speaking, but he was sure she was looking at him. He slanted his eyes in her direction.

“You know,” Wally said. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Nabu said that Kent tried to stop him from keeping Zatanna.”

“I know,” Artemis murmured.

“He said that Kent objected so,” Wally paused over the word. “Strenuously, that Nabu forced his spirit into the afterlife.” Wally took another breath, then another. When they felt a little more sturdy in his chest, he opened his eyes and looked at Artemis.

She looked sad, but she didn’t say anything.

“What do you think that means?” Wally asked.

“I--I don’t know,” Artemis faltered. Wally met her eyes. Artemis was always sure. She was always strong and confident.

Wally didn’t feel either of those things. His chest felt tight and there was a burning behind his eyes. Part of him wanted to run back home. To go back to his parents’ house and climb back into his bed, and leave all of this behind. Pretend it never happened. “Do you think it hurt?” asked. His voice only shook a little. “Do you think Kent’s happy now? Is he with Inza?”

Artemis opened and closed her mouth. “I don’t know,” she said again.

Wally shook his head. “It’s stupid, right?” He wiped his eyes. “Kent’s dead. He’s been dead for a while now, so it’s not like this makes a difference.”

Artemis reached out her hand. It looked, for a moment, like she was going to touch him. Her hand fell back into her lap. “It’s not stupid,” she said.

“I feel terrible,” Wally said. He stood and shook his head, shook his shoulders. Artemis looked up again, almost as if she were going to say something. Wally hurried on. “I should go apologize to Zatanna for not helping you guys move her things. What a bonehead move, huh?”

“Wally,” Artemis started.

He smiled and tucked his hands into his pockets. “I’ll catch ya later, babe,” he said, turning and walking out of the room.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

The boxes in Zatanna’s room were not growing fewer in number. She had moved a few of them around, rearranged the stacks, opened a few, and pulled out a few items halfheartedly, but she could not bring herself to start unpacking.

If she unpacked then she would be settled, and if she was settled then this would be here home.

Mount Justice was not her home.

M’gann and Artemis had offered to help her unpack, but Zatanna couldn’t really face anyone right now. She didn’t want to have to pretend like things were okay, and she didn’t want to talk about it. Robin had also offered to help, and while Zatanna sensed that he understood better than anyone else, she just couldn’t face her grief.

Her grief was a gaping canyon that threatened to swallow her whole if directly confronted. Thus far, she’d been peaking at it from the corners, hoping it would become more manageable.

It had not.

There was a knock at her door. Zatanna crossed the room, and opened it to find Wally standing in front of her, looking sheepish.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” Zatanna said, weary. She didn’t really feel like dealing with Kid Flash’s antics.

“Listen,” Wally said, sounding surprisingly sincere. “I just wanted to,” he broke off, and looked down at the ground, his hands in his pockets. Zatanna watched him take two deep breaths, before looking up to meet her gaze straight on. It felt like the first time that someone had looked her in the eyes since Zatara put on the helmet. “Apologize.”

“What?” she asked.

“I’m so sorry about what happened to Zatara,” he said. “I’m sorry I bolted after and that I didn’t help you move.”

Zatanna remembered, suddenly, that Wally too had donned the helmet. He had been Doctor Fate, just like she had. Just like Zatara was.

She reached out and curled her fingers behind his elbow and squeezed. “Thank you,” she said.

He moved slowly, giving her time to duck out of his way, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Zatanna put her hands around his neck and let him hug her. They stood like that for a long moment, and she pressed her face against his chest. She could hear the steady beating thrum of his heart, and feel the breath go in and out of him.

Her eyes were dry, but when they pulled apart, Wally ducked his head and wiped the back of his hand across his face. She pretended not to notice.

“So,” he said. His voice did not crack. “Do you want some help with these boxes?”

Zatanna drew a breath deep into her lungs and held it until she felt it burn. “Sure,” she said after a minute. “That would be nice.”


End file.
